Trump News Live: The Latest Updates As Loyal Ally Demands Biden Transition

A group of more than 100 Republican experts on national security has demanded that Republican members of Congress pressure Donald Trump to admit defeat in the 2020 presidential election.

In a letter obtained by The Washington Post, the former officials warn that the president’s “refusal to grant elections and allow an orderly transition constitutes a serious threat to the democratic process in the United States and to our national security.”

Stephen Schwarzman, one of Donald Trump’s closest allies, has said that the election is over and that the president must “move on.”

The businessman, who is chief executive of The Blackstone Group, urged Trump to accept that he has lost and allow President-elect Joe Biden to transition to the White House.

He told the Axios news website that he was a “good process fanatic” and that “the country should move on” as the result of the November 3 vote was “very safe today.”

Biden, who works in his home state of Delaware, has gone ahead with his transition plans despite a lack of cooperation from the current administration. He is expected to name Antony Blinken as the next US Secretary of State as he prepares to undo Trump’s “America First” foreign policy.

More than 100 former Republican national security officials have demanded that party leaders denounce Donald Trump’s refusal to grant the presidential election, calling it a dangerous and undemocratic attack on US institutions.

Comprised of some of the top national security officials from the Republican administrations of Ronald Reagan, George HW Bush, George W Bush and Trump, the group condemned the failure of the majority of Republicans in Congress to condemn the unwillingness of the president to acknowledge the decision of Democratic President-elect Joe Biden. victory in the elections of November 3.

The group, former Republican Biden national security officials, which was formed in August and whose members campaigned against Trump, was particularly critical of Republican congressional leaders in a published letter.

“By encouraging the delaying tactics of President Trump or remaining silent, Republican leaders put American democracy and national security at risk,” the group wrote.

Members of the group include retired General Michael Hayden, who served as director of national security and head of the CIA; William Webster, the only man who served as head of the CIA and the FBI; and John Negroponte, the first director of national intelligence.

The White House plans to host an indoor Christmas reception next week, just days after Thanksgiving, despite ongoing Covid-19 outbreaks in the complex and against the advice of its own advisers. urging Americans to sacrifice their regular holiday gatherings to curb the spread of the virus. .

First lady Melania Trump is hosting a “holiday reception” on November 30 at the White House, according to an invitation obtained by ABC News.

US officials warned against large Thanksgiving gatherings on Thursday, instead urging Americans to stay home and avoid traveling to see family members in a bid to slow the spread of the new coronavirus and protect people. vulnerable, as cases surpassed 12 million over the weekend.

While the White House has said that President Donald Trump and Melania planned to stay in Washington for the holidays this week, skipping their annual Thanksgiving at Trump’s private club in Florida, the party comes just three days later.

Joe Biden is likely to name his cabinet elections in tranches, with groups of nominees focused on a specific top area, such as the economy, national security or public health, to be announced immediately.

The president-elect’s transition advisers have said they will make their first cabinet announcements on Tuesday.

As previously reported, veteran diplomat Antony Blinken is the frontrunner to be nominated for secretary of state.

If Biden focuses on national security on Tuesday, Michele Flournoy, a veteran of Pentagon policy jobs, is one of the best options to lead the defense department.

Jake Sullivan, a longtime adviser to Biden and Hillary Clinton, is also in the mix for a top job, including that of White House national security adviser.

Florida Secretary of State Katherine Harris looked back at the 2000 Florida Bush v Gore recount and drew parallels with this year’s US elections.

The politician spoke with The independentHarriet Alexander for this piece:

US national security adviser Robert O’Brien has assured the Philippines and Vietnam, countries locked in maritime disputes with China, that Washington stands behind them and would fight to keep the Indo-Pacific region free and open.

“Our message is that we are going to be here, we support them and we are not leaving,” he said during a visit to the Philippines after concluding a trip to Vietnam.

“I think that when we send that message, that message of peace through force, it is the way to deter China. It is a way to guarantee peace,” O’Brien said.

Vietnam and the Philippines have been the most vocal regional opponents of what they see as China’s overreach in the South China Sea and its disregard for the borders outlined in international maritime law.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secretly flew to the Saudi Red Sea city of Neom on Sunday to speak with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, according to reports.

News of the meeting came a day after Netanyahu, in an apparent message to President-elect Joe Biden, said in a speech that there should be no return to the 2015 Iran nuclear deal abandoned by President Donald Trump. .

Netanyahu’s office and the US Embassy in Jerusalem did not immediately comment on the media reports, but Education Minister Yoav Gallant, a member of Netanyahu’s security cabinet and the Likud party, confirmed that the Saudi meeting was held. had carried out, describing it as an “astonishing achievement.”

As the days have passed since the election, a select number of Republican politicians have begun to turn against the president, publicly recognizing Biden as president-elect and urging Donald Trump to ensure a peaceful transfer of power.

But who are the handful of Republican lawmakers who have spoken out on Biden’s victory?

Louise hall explains everything in this piece:

The Trump administration is close to declaring 89 aerospace companies and other Chinese companies have military ties, preventing them from buying a variety of American products and technology, according to a preliminary copy of the list seen by Reuters.

The list, if released, could further increase trade tensions with Beijing and hurt US companies that sell civil aviation parts and components to China, among other industries.

James crump has more on this below: